Introduction to ELL
Since English Language and Linguistics (ELL) is a new subject, many have more questions about it. This article will hopefully help answer your queries about the subject and guide you in whether you should take it. There’s a more exhaustive version of this article linked here! (This shorter version is 1079 words, while the longer version is 2500+ words.)
Did you notice my use of “you”? Ah, the wonders of synthetic personalisation! If “you” is a second person singular pronoun, the text producer, who is me, is addressing a mass audience, who are all my readers, as individuals. You would believe that my advice is tailored to your needs and trust in my opinions as though they were the gospel.
And there you have it, your first bit of ELL knowledge. This is only the tip of the iceberg! Do refer to the 2025 official syllabus document that can be googled for the full scope.
Outside of the syllabus document, part of your assessment for year 1 in HCI includes a group project weighing 5%. You will essentially be doing Paper 1 Section A, except that you will have to create or find the texts yourself.
Advice for taking ELL
This brings me to my first piece of advice. Do your work. Especially if it’s group work. Obviously, assignments are opportunities for you to apply what you have learnt, and also checkpoints to see whether you are approaching your tasks correctly.
Secondly, listen in class. Classes are twice a week, starting from around 2pm, and lasting 1.5 or 2 hours, but don’t skip them. The pace can be quite fast, so missing one lesson can mean missing out on a lot.
Thirdly, consult your teacher. The teachers continually stress how effective consultations can be. According to them, there’s this person in my class who jumped from failing his timed practice to getting an A in Blocks because he consulted them. He’s been first in class since then, so I guess it shows that consultations can go a long way.
Finally, even if you fail the selection test that you have to pass to take ELL, you can still appeal to try to get in.
Why YOU should take ELL!
But, why do I love ELL, and why should you take it? Honestly, I find it pretty manageable. Compared to subjects like Math and History, ELL does not require you to self-study much outside of lessons and homework in year 1. However, in year 2, you will receive academic articles written by linguists as readings, and it is crucial that you always keep up with them. ELL is more predictable than other Arts subjects (for reference, I don’t take Economics), making it easier to study. I like how ELL is related to social conduct and issues as well.
I also love English. I once believed I was ride-or-die with Literature, but ELL is now my favourite subject. I think that ELL is practically superior to Lit since you can apply it to literally anything you read, hear or write, and not just literary texts. In fact, I tend to apply ELL in Lit to come up with analysis when I can’t think of anything, though limited since Lit essays should not sound like ELL ones. You can even apply ELL to your everyday conversations! It’s become a running joke with my friends to reference ELL, such as maxims. It can act as active recalling. This applicability means that ELL is directly relevant to, say, legal documents or advertisements.
Therefore, like with all Arts subjects, you will have a future with ELL. Possible university majors include ELL, Communications and Law. This may actually be the subject most relevant to Law, as you learn about linguistic nuances that shape how legal documents are written. Possible jobs include speech therapy, law, and jobs involving writing, such as journalism and advertising.
Conclusion
I hope your doubts have been clarified. Do have fun with whatever subjects you’re passionate about! To conclude, here are some comments from the top few overall this year in my class, as well as a very helpful document from a senior, Enya Koh (22A15), which also details the experience of year 2 ELL that I have not been through yet, linked here.
“General study tips: honestly I don’t do anything too complicated, what works for me is reviewing the school notes in detail (because they are of good quality in my opinion!) and ensuring I know everything in there. Then I read model essays & answer schemes - I find that really helps me find new things to analyse! Sometimes I do essay outlines, but to be honest I don’t get a lot of external practice in (beyond what is assigned)
Why I like ELL: I'm really just more of an Arts/Humans girl in general, and I really really love ELL bc I'm just so fascinated by how we break down the English language and appreciate it. I think ELL has proven to be especially applicable to real life, in the sense that I am acutely aware of the different linguistic devices being utilised in every situation, be it a simple conversation or a poster or a piece of text online etc. It has made me more sensitive to detail and helped me understand the way language constructs relationships and the world on a larger whole, and I do think that it’s very important to have some knowledge about this as it’s a very useful skill to have, especially in the workplace - how to manipulate language carefully to achieve certain purposes etc.” - Yik Xin Yi (23A15)
“Before I started learning ELL, I was already intrigued by the subject - the idea of examining practical uses of the English Language seemed very cool to me. Having studied ELL for a year, I've realised that ELL is very versatile: if you like Lit or the humanities, you'll like ELL for it's focus on language and its numerous effects; at the same time, if you're more scientifically-minded, you'll love ELL's more structured methods of analysis (the subject isn't called the science of language for nothing). My personal favourite topic, pragmatics, really encapsulates this: it combines unbreakable maxims of politeness with an intricate examination of words and sentences to determine that teachers answering "can but may not" to "can I use the toilet?" is, in fact, not co-operating with the student. All in all, ELL is definitely an underrated subject that definitely shouldn't be discounted!” - Elkan Ho (23A15)
Written by: Yap En Ting (23A11)
Edited by: Chua Zea Ra (23A11)
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